1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to circuit interrupters generally and, more specifically, to those kinds of circuit interrupters having screws for fastening the entire interrupter to a surface and for attaching a secondary cover to a primary cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Molded case circuit breakers and interrupters are well known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,408 issued Mar. 5, 1985, to Mrenna et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,760 issued Jun. 8, 1999 to Malingowski, et al, each of which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference.
When in use, circuit interrupters are often mounted to a wall, or into a DIN rail back panel or load center or the like. For mounting purposes, holes typically extend through the housing of the interrupter and into which mounting screws are inserted for attachment with the mounting surface.
It is desirable to be able to ship a circuit interrupter to a customer in the most assembled state possible so that implementation can be effected quickly and conveniently. Thus, prior art interrupters have provided retainment methods whereby the mounting screws can be positioned within their appropriate holes during shipment without the fear of the screws falling out and becoming lost. Unfortunately, these retainment methods typically require more complicated molding processes, and do not have the flexibility to be easily implemented within or easily removed from the interrupter at will.
In addition, circuit interrupters sometimes include a cover that is positioned on top of the interrupter's housing and which is removable in order to conveniently add accessories. Such a secondary cover is typically attached to the housing by way of screws. Unfortunately, such screws can become lost when the cover is removed from the housing of prior art interrupters.
In view of the above, it would be advantageous if a circuit interrupter existed that could effectively and conveniently retain the mounting screws therein during shipment without requiring complicated molding processes. It would also be advantageous if the retainment feature had the flexibility to be easily implemented within or easily removed from an interrupter. It would further be advantageous if a circuit interrupter existed that could effectively and conveniently prevent loss of screws used to attach a secondary cover.